This invention relates to improvements in smoking articles, particularly smoking articles which have the appearance of a traditional cigarette. More particularly, the present invention relates to a smoking article which includes a composition therein which upon heat and without combustion releases selected flavor generated vapors.
Over the past few years there have been a number of smoking articles devised which look like cigarettes, but upon ignition the products of combustion resulting therefrom are not inhaled by the user of the smoking article. Instead, the heat of combustion from the burnable materials creates sufficient heat to vaporize selected flavors which are included within the smoking article but separated from the burning portion. The vaporized flavors are ingested by the user of the smoking article, not the products of combustion from the heat generated source.
Much of the early work done in the area of non-smoking cigarette type products are disclosed in a number of U.S. patents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,258,015 teaches a smoking device which includes a combustible tobacco column having a concentric smoke-impermeable tube therethrough wherein the tube is fabricated of a heat conducting material, such as copper or aluminum and filled with tobacco including aerosol generating materials. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 3,356,094 teaches a smoking article which includes a tobacco column having a concentric tube therethrough and the interior wall surface of the tube is coated with a flavoring material and an aerosol generating material, but in this case the tube is made of an inorganic salt, such as magnesium sulfate heptahydrate. Even further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,679 teaches a smoking article including a tobacco column circumscribed by a paper wrapper within a tube fabricated of a heat conducting material, a ceramic, or metal, or granular material pressed or molded to shape extending concentrically through the tobacco column. There are also at least two patents which teach cigarettes, wherein tobacco rods are circumscribed by heat insulating materials. U.S. Pat. No. 2,098,619 teaches a cigarette including a tobacco rod circumscribed by an inflammable wrapper which is in turn circumscribed by a corrugated outer wrapper of heat insulating material. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 2,890,704 teaches a cigarette including a tobacco rod circumscribed by a wrapper of non-combustible material, such as interwoven glass fibers.